When looking for employees, you probably have an image in mind, BUT could your image be too restrictive? It is normal to have expectations, but if you cannot find the perfect employee, put your efforts into growing them or you will lose the candidates you have! What to do…

Focus on Potential. Your right candidate may not have all the credentials you expect, but have they shown they can earn them? Or perhaps a candidate hasn’t worked in a managerial position, but they’ve taken on special projects and managed them well. This demonstrates their ability to take ownership of a task. Experiences like these show you their familiarity with the skills you need and may suggest how trainable they are.

Identify Necessary Personal Skills. These are the baseline, nonnegotiable skills that you expect from a candidate. Focus on their traits and thinking skills. Consider what they need to be successful: Do they need to work well on a team? Do they need to be self-motivated? Once you determine your nonnegotiable personal skills, use them as guidelines to narrow your candidate pool.

Keep an Open Mind. This is arguably the most important thing when it comes to scouting candidates. Focus less on their resume. A person cannot fit their entire lifetime of experiences and acquired skills on a single sheet of paper. Pay attention to how the person responds during their interview. Are they engaged? Eager? Do they have good communicative skills? Often, the interview can be more telling than their resume, so keep an open mind and give people a chance to achieve their potential.